Online Crowdsourced Data from iNaturalist Can Assist Monitoring of Invasive Mosquitoes

Area of Science:

• Entomology
• Public Health
• Vector-borne Disease Surveillance

Background:

• Invasive mosquito species pose a growing threat of disease transmission globally.
• Effective vector surveillance is crucial for managing and controlling invasive mosquito populations.
• Citizen science initiatives offer valuable supplementary data for ecological monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of iNaturalist data for invasive mosquito surveillance in Europe and adjacent regions.
• To analyze the distribution and seasonal occurrence of four key invasive Aedes species using iNaturalist observations.

Main Methods:

• Systematic examination of approximately 16,000 mosquito observations from iNaturalist across 62 countries.
• Identification and categorization of invasive Aedes species (IAS) and probable IAS within the dataset.
• Analysis of spatial and temporal patterns of identified invasive mosquito species.

Main Results:

• Over 13% of iNaturalist mosquito observations were identified as invasive Aedes species (IAS), with an additional 2% probable IAS.
• Significant iNaturalist data recorded for Aedes albopictus, Aedes japonicus, and Aedes koreicus, with some for Aedes aegypti.
• iNaturalist data confirmed known invasive mosquito distributions and highlighted potential new areas of spread.

Conclusions:

• iNaturalist serves as a valuable, low-cost resource for passive vector surveillance of invasive mosquitoes.
• Citizen science data complements traditional methods, aiding in the early detection and monitoring of invasive species.
• Continued integration of iNaturalist data can enhance public health strategies against mosquito-borne diseases.